Simon takes second consecutive pole position at Sepang

A host of riders staked their claim for Moto2 pole position at Sepang this afternoon but in the end it went down to a straight head-to-head between Julian Simón and Alex De Angelis. The latter dominated free practice this morning but the Mapfre Aspar rider won out in the afternoon to take his second straight pole position. The pair also have the best race pace although the task of escaping will be difficult at this circuit, where slipstreams always play a vital role. For Simón the target is a first ever Moto2 win, which would deny Toni Elías the title, at least for another week.

Simón made a strong start yesterday and built on it today with the second fastest time this morning before his impressive qualifying performance. His thirteenth lap proved to be his best, sealing a third pole of the season to add to those of Indianapolis and Japan.

1st Julián Simón 2.08.562 (16 laps): “I am really happy to have put back-to-back poles together. So far this flyaway trip is going well – I feel really comfortable on the bike, it’s running better than it was in Japan and that gives me more confidence. The most important thing will be the start because the first two corners here can be dangerous. Let’s see if I get lucky and get through them okay. If I do I’ll be pushing hard from there to see if I can make a break if possible. Elías is going to want to take the title by winning the race so he’ll definitely be strong but the main objective for me is victory. I feel even stronger than I did at Motegi and I am going to push to make sure there are as few riders as possible in the lead group so that the last few laps are easier to manage. Having spent the whole race at Motegi behind Toni I learnt a lot and tomorrow I’ll try to change a couple of things to make sure the result is different. I am not obsessing over it but if the win is there I will go for it. Otherwise a podium would be more than welcome, as long as I enjoy myself on the bike and do my best.”

Source: Mapfre Aspar Team